


The time apart

by avatar_kyoshi4



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Rise of Kyoshi - Fandom, Shadow of Kyoshi - Fandom
Genre: AtLA, F/F, LOK - Freeform, ROK - Freeform, Rangshi - Freeform, SoK, rangshi being angsty
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-14
Updated: 2020-10-02
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:00:41
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,735
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26766196
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/avatar_kyoshi4/pseuds/avatar_kyoshi4
Summary: Kyoshi reminisces over the hardest goodbye she's ever had to make, her goodbye with Rangi.  They don't know low long their time apart will be, or if they will ever see each other again.  All they have are promises that have yet to be fulfilled, and years of memories.! Rise of Kyoshi spoiler alert
Relationships: Kyoshi/Rangi (Avatar)
Kudos: 3





	The time apart

**Author's Note:**

> !! SPOILER ALERT !! if you haven't finished the Rise of Kyoshi, please don't read this, it has spoilers and I would hate to spoil for you.
> 
> Since we really didn't get any info about the time that Rangshi spent apart in between the novels I thought it would be fun to write what I think would happen! The fact that both girls didn't know if they would ever see each other bothers me every day. There may be a few plotholes because I kinda just wrote whatever came to mind, so sorry about that.

Kyoshi lied face up, staring at the ceiling of her bedroom. The intricate engravings of air symbols were something she would never get tired of. She’d kept her room neat and tidy as she always had, and she brought along some decor from her old room at the mansion. However, after all these months, it still didn’t feel like home. Something was missing. Living at the air temple was very different from Yokoya. The air nomads were constantly at her service and constantly checked up on her,  _ especially Jinpa _ . Don't get her wrong, she enjoyed the attention after everything she had been through during her life. But deep down, she missed her old life, before she was the Avatar.  _ She missed Rangi. _ Kyoshi closed her eyes and started to open the floodgate of memories that she had been suppressing these past few months. She remembered the day she had to say goodbye like it was yesterday.

*

*

“I have to go to Kyoshi. I have to travel with my mother. I’m sorry, I just can’t stay with you.”

Tears filled in both of their eyes. They knew they would have to separate sometime, they just didn’t think it would be so soon. Hei-Ran was already in horrible condition, and it was worsening by the minute. Kyoshi couldn’t process anything anymore. Instead of just rescuing a poisoned Rangi, she arrived back in Yokoya to dead Earth Sages and officials, along with a critical-conditioned Hei-Ran. They needed to get to the North Pole, and they needed to leave now. 

“Can’t I go with you? How long will you be gone? My Avatar duties can wait-” Rangi cut off her girlfriend immediately. She quickly shot her eyes up at Kyoshi’s trying to hide her sadness, and turned it to anger, as she usually did.

“You don’t understand do you?” Rangi screamed aloud, not worrying about the others hearing her. “Have you seen the state that my mother is in? This isn’t going to be the quick journey you think it is!” 

Kyoshi’s eyes widened in fear. Rangi almost never showed this much anger, even if she felt it inside. Rangi realized what she had done, and took a deep breath in, quickly recollecting herself. 

“You can’t abandon your people just for me, and my mother. You can’t come to the North Pole with us.” She spoke softly this time, honoring the Avatar’s sensitive nature.

  
  
  
  


Kyoshi burst into uncontrollable tears, and collapsed onto the floor. She knew that her feelings were selfish, but honestly, she didn’t care. For once, she wanted to be selfish. She wanted things to go her way. Ever since she was a little girl, she longed for a life that wasn’t her own. But when she met Rangi, she had a friend. She had a reason. Kyoshi was about to lose that reason.

“You can’t leave me Rangi. You can’t leave me all alone. I don’t know what to do.”

Rangi walked over to Kyoshi and sat down parallel to her. She leaned over and touched her forehead to her girlfriends, and stroked her face at the same time. Rangi made those sharp quick breaths, which Kyoshi learned was how she cried. 

“You’re going to be okay Kyoshi. I believe in you. You don’t need me, you can do it. It’s not forever.”

Rangi did not mean this whatsoever. In all honesty, she didn’t know how either of them was going to get through these coming years. Ever since the pair were 7 years old, they had each other. Every problem they faced, every memory they made, they did it together. They rarely admitted it, but they really needed each other.

Without Rangi, Kyoshi never would have been able to stand up to Aoma and her bully friends. She’s 16 now, and the Avatar. There are people much worse than silly Earth Kingdom teenagers that she will have to deal with now.  _ What if she has to do it alone? What if there is no one to help her?  _ Rangi was worried about Kyoshi. Really worried.

  
She didn’t show it, but Kyoshi was worried about Rangi. The firebender was never one to be in touch with her emotions. With everything going on for Hei-Ran, she wanted to be there for Rangi. But she couldn’t. She knew it would take time for her girlfriend to show her vulnerability, but Kyoshi wasn’t going to be there. She wasn’t going to be able to comfort her during her midnight cries, or her bursts of frustration. Especially with an injured Hei-Ran, Rangi was going to have to do this alone.

With their foreheads pressed together, the girls cried for what felt like hours. They didn’t know what was going to happen in their coming time apart, but they sure as hell knew it wasn’t going to be easy. 

“I don’t want to leave Kyoshi,” Rangi said coldly, breaking the silence and completely catching Kyoshi off guard. She didn’t know what to say. 

  
  
  
  
  


Even though Rangi said this coldly, Kyoshi could tell she was trying to hide the hurt and pain. When it came to Rangi’s “ _ sometimes troubled _ ” relationship with Hei-Ran, Kyoshi served as background support, but never really intervened. Kyoshi didn’t have much experience in the parental department anyway. Rangi was a very specific person, and Kyoshi often grappled with deciding whether to tell her the truth, or sugar coat it. Kyoshi honestly didn’t know what was going to happen to Hei-Ran. She didn’t want to think about it. Hei-Ran was the closest thing she ever had to a mother. She really wanted to believe everything would be okay. But she just couldn’t.

“She’s going to be okay. I’ve known your mother for more than half of my life, and I don’t think I’ve ever met a stronger woman. I promise you Rangi, she will get through this. I’m not letting Jihanzhu take away another person I love.”

Rangi wasn’t sure if she believed this. Her mother  _ was  _ the strongest woman she had ever met, but seeing her in the state she was in now planted numerous doubts in her head. Sitting there so lifeless, without that natural firebender spark. “I hope you’re right.”

Looking into the distance, both girls could tell that it was almost time for Rangi’s departure. Rangi tightly clutched onto Kyoshi’s robes, almost ripping them with her bare hands. Tears still streamed down her face, and she couldn’t stop them. She had never been this scared, and unsure before.

“I don’t want to go. Please Kyoshi, I’m scared. What if- What if she doesn’t make it? I’ve already lost my dad, I can’t lose her too.”

Kyoshi grabbed Rangi's chin, and angled her face so Rangi was looking dead into Kyoshi’s emerald green eyes.

“Listen to me. Your mom will be okay. The Northern Water Tribe is home to the best healers in all of the world. Master Amak’s sister will be there right when you and Mistress Hei-Ran arrive, I promise. She’ll have your mom back on her feet in no time. She will get through this. As for you, Rangi, you are one of the strongest people I have met, mentally, and physically. You don’t need me, you can do this by yourself. You can do this, and so can your mother. I promise you, we will be back here in Yokoya together in no time-” 

She stopped when she heard voices in the distance. Rangi turned her head as soon as she heard them too. Kyoshi felt sudden relief. She didn’t want to keep talking, but she couldn’t bear to see Rangi so distressed.   
  


“I have to go now,” Rangi said, standing up hesitantly. She brushed off her skirt, wiped her face, and immediately resumed her role as a Lieutenant. 

Together, they walked over to the bison meant to take Rangi and Hei-Ran to the North. It was already straddled up, and Hei-Ran had been lifted up. All that was left was Rangi. 

“Are you ready Lieutenant?” the owner of the bison called out. Rangi nodded and started to climb up. With tears in her eyes, Rangi turned around one last time to see Kyoshi.

“Promise me I’ll see you again, please,” she said, holding back sobs.

_ “I’ll be right here waiting for you. I promise you, we will see each other again.”  _

They locked eyes for one last time that night, maybe ever. They both wanted their promises to ring true, but whether they admitted it or not, they had no idea what the future would bring. All they knew was that if they ever saw each other again, they would be different people, almost complete strangers.

Kyoshi watched as Rangi and her mother flew off in the distance, leaving her all alone for the first time in 9 years. 

_ “I’ll be right here waiting for you. I promise you, we will see each other again,”  _ the Avatar whispered into the distance.

They didn't know it, but that would be the sentence that kept them both going over this era of distance. Whether it would become true or not was a different story.

*

*

“Avatar Kyoshi, are you alright?” Jinpa, her air nomad assistant asked her gently.

She hadn’t even realized that she had passed out hours ago. “Yes I am, I’m just simply tired today, thank you. Do you have this week's letters?”

“Yes, I’ll place them on your desk. Read them at the earliest convenience.” He walked out, and paused right as he passed the door frame. He was worried about her. She rarely ever ate, and was usually focused solely on her duties as the Avatar. She wasn’t taking care of herself.

As she watched him leave, she saw that he had taken a single letter back with him instead of placing it in the pile. He was already too far to read the writing, but she could make out the Northern Water Tribe seal. At the time, she thought nothing of this.

Kyoshi knew that these letters were not going to be important, as they never were. She had been awaiting a letter from Rangi, but she presumed her firebender was just as nervous to reach out as she was. There had been almost no communication between the two over the previous months. Kyoshi felt like a piece of her died with every useless letter she wasted her time on.

_ “I promise you, we will see each other again.”  _

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading! hope you enjoyed, kudos and comments are always appreciated! let me know if I should write more chapters, specifically on their individual experiences and stuff like that. thank you so much!


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